1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to reading bar code symbols, and, in particular, to methods and apparatuses for detecting and decoding bar code symbols that are randomly arranged in two-dimensional gray-scale pixel images.
2. Statement of Related Art
Bar codes are the most widely used code for automatic identification. Traditional bar code symbol readers are laser scanners that are ill-suited for reading two-dimensional codes. In addition, they may require frequent maintenance and tuning. Two-dimensional codes may be more easily read by systems with cameras having linear CCD arrays. Such cameras, which require little maintenance or tuning, generate two-dimensional gray-scale pixel images of code symbols. The present invention detects and decodes bar code symbols in pixel images generated by CCD camera systems, so that the same code symbol reader may be used for reading both bar codes and two-dimensional codes.